Chapter Thirty-Seven
Gwen
“What a fucking shitshow,” I murmured under my breath as I stared at the scene.
Dean and I were supposed to report to the field office to sign some paperwork that James forgot to mention.
Technically, I had been working for the FBI ever since I signed that makeshift napkin promise in New York.
Haley had signed hers, and Dean…he had been working with the FBI for the last five years.
“Fuck,” Dean scrubbed a hand down his face beside me. “I hope I don’t have to do any of that.”
The entire floor of cubicles, tables and filing cabinets was in disarray. Papers were scattered all over the floor, and agents were running around like chickens on crack.
“Mr. Connors. Ms. Davenport. Please, this way,” said a young female agent who appeared out of thin air in front of us. She turned and headed down the hallway to the left. Dean’s hand found the small of my back at the same time his lips found my ear.
“When are you going to let me give you my last name, baby girl?”
I smiled as we followed the agent. “Whenever you want.”
“Don’t tease me,” he rumbled. “I’ll take you to the courthouse right now.”
“Baby, a good chunk of the world still thinks you're dead.”
“Dead men can get married,” he teased, a smile breaking out across his handsome face.
We thanked the agent and stepped into the conference room. I was surprised to see everyone there…except for Kay. Casey was missing too. No doubt she was wrapped up in the mess outside this room.
“Garner, what’s up with the escort?” my fiancé called as we approached the table.
“Protocol, Connors,” James replied, his eyes scanning the file in front of him. Haley was sitting at his side, equally invested.
Just weeks ago, we were in this room tracking down Kay, and now she was sitting by a hospital bed with the man who kidnapped her. A shiver ran down my spine as guilt whispered in my ear like an old friend.
Go see him. Forgive him.
“Bookworm? You good?”
I looked to my right to find the big man eyeing me cautiously. “Yeah, Dom. I’m good,” I assured him, making my way over for a hug. Sullie’s hugs were bear hugs, but Dom’s hugs were on another level. He squeezed me once as he whispered. “Have you gone to the hospital yet?”
I shook my head against him, and he grunted. “Does that make me a coward?”
Everyone in this room knew about our history. The sting I used to feel when I heard his name was fading and I didn’t know how to process that.
But I wanted to try.
“Gwen, you're a lot of things, but a coward isn't one of them.”
I looked up to the monster of a man; his dreads were pulled away from his face today and he seemed more relaxed. In fact, everyone around me did.
So why was I still on edge?
“He had my dagger, Dom,” I said softly. Dom was the one who had given me that dagger, five years ago, before the art gala that changed all of our lives. We broke our embrace, and he scratched his five o’clock shadow. “Can I give you a piece of advice, bookworm?”
I nodded. “Of course, you can.”
His eyes were dark, but when they met mine, I could see the light in them.
“My son, Ty, didn’t get to live his life…
” A lump formed in my throat. “He was taken from me, but I'm the reason for my loneliness, G. I pushed everyone away after his death, and Sullie was the only one who stuck by me, even in my times of darkness and hatred. A friend like that only comes around once in your life. You have a multitude of them. Life is too short to hold on to the pain of the past. My advice is to let it go, heal, and mend broken bonds.” He looked out to the city.
It was raining today, the dark skies making the Arch look haunted instead of welcoming.
“Go to him, Gwen,” he said softly.
A single tear fell down my cheek. “I’m sorry for your loss,” I rasped. He touched my cheek and turned to take his seat by Sullie, who was studying us with a soft expression.
I turned to the table, wiping my tears away. “Hi, Sullie.”
He smiled. “Hey, G.”
“Collin is awake.” James’ announcement had me spinning, and before I could get the words out of my mouth, Haley beat me to it.
“Is he alright?”
The agent looked down at her, his hand reaching out to stroke her cheek. “That’s all the information Kay was willing to give me.”
“Can we see him?”
All eyes in the room landed on me, some of them confused and some of them soft. I stepped forward, twisting my engagement ring around my finger. “Is that allowed?”
“I had him moved out of the prison ward, if that's what you're asking, Gwen,” James said softly.
A soft breath came from Dean, and he came up to me, catching my chin in his fingers. “You sure you want that?”
“I don’t know, but I have some questions for him.”
“I think we all do,” James said.
My eyes drifted to Jeremy, who was standing on the far end of the room, leaning against the wall and staring out the window. He was quiet today, and that worried me.
James began speaking about debriefing and paperwork.
Aside from the groan from my baseball player, everything else faded away as I watched my friend.
I didn’t miss when his eyes landed on Casey’s tech station in the corner, her computer monitors dark in her absence.
I didn’t miss the longing that was evident in his warm brown eyes, or the way his jaw tightened before he looked back out at the rain.
The doors opened, and James’ director, John Alex, stepped in, followed by a few more suits. He was older, but there was a certain air around him that told me he wasn’t one to be fucked with.
James stepped around the table to shake his hand, Dean joining them.
“I just wanted to stop by and meet the motley crew,” John said, his eyes scanning the room. They came to a halt on Dom and Sullie. “Gentlemen, it’s been a long time.”
“Not long enough, sir,” Dom said, a slow smile forming.
Dean, Haley, and I all shared a look. When I looked back to Jeremy, his eyes were still focused on the rain, his mind somewhere else.
“You must be Gwen.”
I turned back to find the director standing a mere foot from me. My hand shot out as I smiled warmly at him. “That’s me.” His hand came to mine, and he stepped closer.
“You were a valuable asset to this case, Ms. Davenport. I wanted to thank you personally for all you've done.”
I cleared my throat and looked at Dean. “I wouldn’t call my actions honorable, sir.”
He just smiled. “Thank you to all of you for working with the Federal Investigation Bureau of the United States of America. One of the biggest cases in the country is about to be closed, and that's all thanks to you. We thank you for your service.”
We remained silent as the suits took their leave.
Who the hell were they?
James shut the doors and locked them, turning back to his boss as he folded his arms over his chest. “Is it time to cut the bullshit?” he asked as Dean grunted, moving to me.
John walked away to stand at the head of the conference table as Sullie shifted in his seat, his dark eyes darting to his nephew.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and as my mouth opened, Dean’s hand landed on the small of my back. “You’re safe. Calm down, baby girl,” he whispered.
The director looked at Casey’s desk. “Where is your star, James?”
That got Jeremy’s attention.
“Where she needs to be,” he said with a smile on his face.
Jer pushed off the wall. “Where the fuck is she?”
Mr. Alex turned to him, his brows raised in surprise. James ignored him, and Haley frowned up at her man, confusion masking her features. “Did she deliver the package?”
What fucking package? What the fuck is going on here?
John Alex nodded, “Ladies and gentlemen, this case is far from over. By shutting down those shipments, you have angered a lot of people. People high up in the government,” he explained.
“Are you saying we still have to deal with this shit?” Haley asked, rising from her chair. Her green eyes found her tainted agent’s and he shook his head.
“No, princess.”
John’s eyes seemed to soften as he watched the exchange, and that confirmed it for me. He knew about Haley and James all along. My heart skipped a beat.
“Just say it, John,” Dean said from behind me.
The man nodded. “Casey has been working closely on this for the last few weeks. She was able to hit a major breakthrough when Collin Stevens and Karina Jones gave you the information on the shipping containers. Several phone calls were made.”
“Casey tapped the phone lines?” I asked.
The director smiled at me. “I’ve had my suspicions for a long time.
” He leaned on the back of the chair on his forearms. “Drugs and alcohol will always be smuggled into the country. That’s something the government was willing to overlook when it came to the mafia.
Or so I thought. They were also overlooking flesh trafficking. ”
“Are you saying Casey gave you a list of names? Of people involved with Romano?” Jer asked, coming up to the table.
John nodded. “You all will be safe. I have teams of people—ones I trust—like Agent Garner here— investigating these names as we speak. But we need to discuss Collin Stevens.”
My spine seemed to straighten at the tone in his voice. Haley shot me a look, her emerald gaze filled with fear. The gut twisting part? I was sure mine were, too. I leaned back against a solid chest and immediately, Dean’s arms wrapped around me.
“Collin Stevens is the most wanted man in the country, you all know this. However, Agent Garner has expressed his…concerns for the man’s future. And I, for one, know that someone needs to go to prison…”
He trailed off, and my body tensed. Collin didn’t deserve prison, no more than Dean and I did, or James or Jer. This man was standing in a room full of killers; no doubt he was one himself. If Collin went to prison, then we all should.
“Collin Stevens is not going to be that person,” he said softly. My shoulders sagged in relief, and Haley covered her mouth, tears brimming.
“Why?” Jer asked darkly, his eyes on the rain once more.